Bobbin skewer



Nov. 3, 1964 F. TOWNSEND BOBBIN SKEWER 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 9, 1962 INVENTOR. FRANKHN LTOWNSEND BY 49,24, @M

ATTO RNEYS Nov. 3, 1964 F. 1.. TOWNSEND BOBBIN SKEWER 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed April 9, 1962 ANGULAR DISPLACEIHENT 0F SHAFT Z\ FROM UNWINMNG POS\T\0N \so' 240 and 350 INVENTOR.

FRANKUN L.TOWNSEND BY d074, I

y. @M ATTORNEYS LATCH 70 TOGGLE QER 43 Nov. 3, 11964 F. 1..TOWN1S'END BOBBIN SKEWER 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed April 9,, 1962 INVENTOR. FRANKUN LTOWNSEND Zr/171w? H +I w BY wjfi ug am ATTORNEYS Nov. 3, 1964 F. TOWNSEND BOBBIN SKEWER 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed April 9, 1962 INVENTOR. FRANKLIN L. TOWNSEND BY 427A ATTORN EYS A \IJ III N 2 United States Patent 3,155,332 1301mm SKEWER Franklin L. Townsend, Rockford, ill, assignor to Barber- Colman (Iompany, Rockford, 11]., a corporation of Illinois Filed Apr. 9, 1962, Ser. No. 186,247 16 Claims. (Cl. 24235.5)

This invention relates to a skewer of the type disclosed in Patent 1,686,102 for supporting a bobbin during the unwinding of thread therefrom. The bobbin has a tip expandable into engagement within the bore of the bobbin and is mounted for endwise movement out of an empty bobbin in an unwinding position, lateral swinging into axial alinement with a full bobbin in a reserve position, endwise movement into the bore of the reserve bobbin, and finally lateral swinging back to the unwinding position.

in prior commercial skewers, the contraction and expansion of the tip relative to the empty and reserve bobbins has been effected gradually by successive cam actions, expansion of the tip to grip the new bobbin being delayed until return of the skewer to the unwinding position during which the bobbin position is maintained by virtue of the relatively close fit of the collapsed tip within the bobbin bore. As a result, a given tip will accommodate only a relatively narrow range of bobbin sizes so that a number of difierent tip sizes is required in order to accommodate all of the many different sizes now in commercial use.

The general object of the present invention i to provide a skewer which will accommodate a substantially greater range of bobbin sizes than has been possible heretofore.

Another object is to expand the skewer tip into gripping engagement in the bore of the reserve bobbin immediately upon full entry of the tip and thereby firmly support the bobbin during the swinging thereof to the unwinding position.

Still another object is to collapse the skewer for entry into the bore of the smallest bobbin and, by spring action, expand the skewer a variable amount determined by the size of the bore in the bobbins being handled.

A more detailed object is to expand the skewer by a novel load-and-fire mechanism which is tripped as an incident to full entry of the skewer tip into the bore of the reserve bobbin thus expanding the skewer tip instantaneously into full engagement with the bore wall irrespective of the size of the latter.

A further object is to provide a novel skewer in which the'gripping force applied by the tip increases as the bobbin bore size increases thereby insuring that relatively large and heavy bobbins are held firmly on the skewer.

Still another object is to utilize the endwise motion of the skewer into the full bobbin to trigger expansion of the tip after full insertion thereof.

The invention also resides in the novel construction of the skewer tip and in thenovel manner of cocking the expanding mechanism during the collapse of the tip as it is withdrawn from the empty bobbin.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary elevational view of a portion of a spooler embodying the novel features of the present invention with parts broken away and shown in section.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary view taken from the opposite side of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of 3,155,332 Patented Nov. 3, 1964 "ice the tip end portion of the skewer shown in FIGS. 1 and 3.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 55 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a view similar to a portion of KG. 1 on an enlarged scale showing the skewer in a different position.

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6 with the skewer in another position.

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 8-8 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 9 is a time chart of the movements of the parts of the skewer.

FIGS. 10, 11 and 12 are views similar to FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 respectively and showing a modified form of the invention.

FIGS. 13 and 14 are views similar to FIGS. 10 and 11 respectively and showing another modified form of the invention.

As shown in the drawings for purposes of illustration, the invention is embodied in a skewer it) especially suited for use in a winding unit of a Barber-Colman spooler in which a bobbin 11 is telescoped over and gripped by an expandable tip 12 on an arm 13 disposed in a pocket 14 in the spooler. During unwinding of the thread, the arm is held in an upright position as shown in FIG. 1 and projects upwardly through one end portion of a slot 15 in an inclined plate 17 forming the floor of the pocket.

After the bobbin has been emptied or its thread broken, the skewer is actuated by mechanism of the type disclosed in the aforesaid patent first to draw the tip downwardly through the slot and out of the bobbin while the tip is being collapsed, swing the retracted skewer into alinement with the bore 18 of a reserve bobbin 11 that is, a full bobbin resting in a reserve position in a magazine 19 (FIG. 1) and angularly spaced from the unwinding position with its bore alined with the other end of the slot 15, and then project the collapsed tip through the slot and into this bore. Finally, the skewer is swung reversely along the slot to carry the new bobbin to the unwinding position, the tip being expanded to hold the bobbin securely during unwinding of the thread. Withdrawal of the tip from the empty bobbin in the unwind ing position releases the bobbin for gravitation down the plate 17 and onto a conveyor 20.

The skewer actuating cycle is executed in a single revolution of a shaft 21 journaled on a side wall 22 of t the pocket 14 with opposite end portions of the shaft disposed on opposite sides of the wall. A pinion 23 (FIG. 2) fast on the end of the shaft outside the pocket normally meshes with teeth on the lower end portion of a rack bar 24 disposed alongside the wall with its upper end projecting above the wall and carrying a follower 25 engageable with a cam 27 on a traveler 23 which moves past the successive winding units of the spooler to perform the functions necessary to join the reserve thread to the package being wound and restart the winding. The cam is shaped top ress the follower progressively downwardly as the traveler passes the winding unit.

As explained in detail in the aforesaid patent, the rack bar is guided in a flange 29 (FIG. 2) on the upper edge of the pocket wall 22 for endwise movement relative to the pinion to turn the latter and the shaft 21 through one revolution at the end of which a cam 36 on the shaft throws the rack out of engagement with the pinion. A contractile spring 31 stretched between the lower end of the rack bar and an anchor 32 fixed to the wall above the pinion returns the rack to its rest position when the traveler has passed the winding unit, the rest position being determined by a lug 33 on the rack abutting against a stop 34 on the pocket wall.

The skewer 10 is pivoted adjacent its lower end on a pin 35 carried on one end of a counterweighted crank a) arm 36 fast intermediate its ends on the end of the shaft 21 within the pocket. Intermediate the ends of the skewer, a pair of pins 38 and 39 fixed to the pocket wall 22 project into the pocket on opposite sides of the skewer [and guide the latter through its cycle. Initially, counterclockwise rotation of the shaft and the crank arm from the unwinding position (FIG. 1) draws the skewer downwardly between the guide pins and through the slot 15 to strip off the empty bobbin (see FIG. 6). As the crank arm swings the lower end of the skewer under the shaft, the pins form a fulcrum for tilting the skewer laterally into alinement with the bore 18 of the reserve bobbin. The pins then guide the skewer endwise into the bore of the reserve bobbin (see FIG. 7) and finally tilt the skewer clockwise back to the unwinding position as the shfit completes one revolution.

In one of its aspects, the invention contemplates the provision of a novel skewer tip 12 expandable varying distances into gripping engagement with the bore walls of widely varying sizes and capable of firmly supporting bobbins irrespective of the sizes of the latter. For these purposes, the tip comprises a fixed jaw rigid with the arm 13 and including two edges 40 (FIG. spaced apart on one side 41 of the arm for engagement with the bore wall 18 along two lines extending along and 'angularly spaced around the wall, and a movable jaw comprising a finger 43 mounted on the arm for movement radially of the bore into gripping engagement with the bore wall on the side thereof opposite the edges 40. Means is provided for urging the finger into engagement with the bore wall under sufiicient pressure to hold the edges 48 firmly against the other side of the wall whereby the fingers and the two edges cooperate to grip the bobbin wall along these angularly spaced lines and thus hold the bobbin securely irrespective of the size of its bore.

In the present instance, the edges 40 are formed on corresponding sides of two fingers 44 comprising the narrow upper end portions of two elongated flat bars 45 (see FIGS. 4 and 8) disposed in laterally spaced sideby-side relation, the lower end portions of the bars forming the skewer arm 13. The bars are apertured adjacent their lower ends and pressed onto opposite ends of a sleeve 47 and into abutment with axially facing shoulders 48 which determine the spacing of the bars. A bushing 4-9 pressed into the sleeve telescopes with the pivot pin 35 to journal the bars on the crank arm 36. Preferably, the side edges 50 (FIG. 4) of the bars on one side of the arm are offset at 51, as shown in FIGS..3 and 4, adjacent the upper ends of the bars to narrow the upper end portions and form the fixed fingers.

While the movable finger 43 may be mounted in various ways to expand and collapse the tip, it is shown in the preferred embodiment in FIGS. 1 through 8 as comprising an elongated link fulcrumed adjacent one of its ends on a pin 52 extending between the bars 45 just below the offset 51 to define an axis extending transversely of the skewer arm. Mounted in this manner, the free end of the finger is swingable toward and away from the fixed fingers between a collapsed position (FIG. 7) and an expanded position (FIG. 4) laterally spaced from the fixed fingers. To guide the collapsed tip into a bobbin bore, the upper end of the fixed fingers are rounded at 53 and the free end of the movable finger is beveled at 54.

To collapse and expand the tip 12, a slide55 (FIGS. 3, 4 and 8) comprising an elongated flat bar is guided between the bars 45 for endwise movement along the arm 13 and is connected to the finger 43 to swing the latter outwardly upon movement of the slide downwardly along the arm and conversely swing the finger inwardly toward and between the fingers 44 during upward movement of the slide. A pin 57 is projected through alined holes in the bars 45 intermediate the ends of the arm and also through an elongated longitudinal slot 58 (FIGS. 3 and 8) in the slide bar. A block 59 telescoped onto this pin between the bars extends, through the slot and bears against opposite sides thereof to guide the slide for such back and forth movement this block 5h abuts against the upper end 6:) of the slot to limit downward movement of the slide. The pin 57 preferably comprises the shank of a rivet which performs the additional function of holding the free ends of the bars properly spaced.

To convert the back and forth movement of the slide 55 into swinging of the finger 43 about the pivot pin 52, the finger is connected to the slide by a link 61 which cooperates with the finger to form a toggle joint 66 (FIGS. 3, 4 and 6) operable to swing the finger outwardly as the slide moves downwardly along the arm and inwardly as the slide moves upwardly. For this purpose, one end of the link 61 is disposed in a laterally opening slot 62 (FIGS. 4, 5 and 8) in the upper end portion of the slide and is pivoted on the latter to swing about an axis paralleling the finger axis, the link axis being defined by a pin 63 spanning the walls of the slot and extending through the end of the link. The other end of the link extends into a longitudinal slot 64 formed in the free end portion of the finger 43 to open toward the slide, this end of the link being pivoted on a pin 65 spanning the walls of the slot 64 intermediate the ends of the finger and defining an axis paralleling and spaced from the finger axis.

One end of the toggle joint is fulcrumed on a fixed pivot 52 on the arm and the other end is guided by the slide for movement along the arm toward and away from the fixed pivot. Thus, as the slide moves the link pivot 63 downwardly between the fingers 44 and toward the fixed pivot 52, the link 61 swings counterclockwise about the pivot 63 to swing the finger 43 clockwise and expand the tip. Conversely, upward movement of the slide swings the link clockwise about the pivot 63 and collapses the tip.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 8, the spring means for biasing the finger 43 toward the expanded position in this instance comprises a coiled spring 67 disposed within the slot 58 and compressed between the guide block 59 and the lower end 68 of the slot thereby to urge the slide downwardly relative to the bars 45. Preferably, a rod 69 (FIGS. 3 and 8) is secured at one end to the guide block and depends therefrom through the spring to prevent binding of the latter against the slot walls.

While the force exerted downwardly on the slide 55 by the spring 67 decreases as the spring extends toward its unloaded length and the stress on the spring is relieved, the leverage of the toggle joint 66 increases as the link 61 approaches a position perpendicular to the slide. In other words, the toggle joint transmits the force of the spring to the bore wall of the bobbin at a mechanical advantage which increases progressively as the angle between the slide 55 and the link 61 increases toward ninety degrees. It will be seen, therefore, that the toggle compensates for the decreased spring force when the tip is expanded in larger bobbins. Preferably, the leverage increases at a rate greater than the rate of decrease in the spring force so that the pressure exerted on larger and heavier bobbins is greater than on smaller bobbins. Herein, the upper end 66 of the slot 58 is positioned to abut against the guide block 59 before the angle between the link 51 and the slide 55 becomes greater than ninety degrees. The range of expansion of the tip is sufficient to grip the largest bobbins in the normal range of sizes in use in a particular mill and the cross-sectional area of the collapsed tip is small enough to permit its free entry into the smallest bobbins used in the mill.

In accordance with a primary aspect of the invention, the skewer tip 12 is expanded into gripping engagement with the bore 18 of the reserve bobbin 11' immediately upon full entry of the tip into the bobbin and, therefore, stably supports the bobbin during swinging of the latter from the reserve position (FIG. 7) back to the unwinding position (FIG. 8) as well as during unwinding of the thread. This is accomplished by a novel spring actuated.

greases and is cocked during withdrawal of the latter from an empty bobbin, and is triggered as an incident to full entry of the tip into the bore of the reserve bobbin to expand the tip instantaneously into full engagement with the bore wall. This expansion mechanism includes means operating as an incident to Withdrawal of the tip to move the slide 55 upwardly and stress the spring 67, a latch 70 for releasably holding the slide with the tip collapsed and the spring stressed during swinging of the skewer into alinement with the reserve bobbin, and means for tripping the latch and releasing the slide in response to full entry of the tip into the reserve bobbin.

To utilize the retraction of the skewer to load the spring, an abutment in the form of a lug 71 (FIGS. 1, 3, 6 and 7) projects laterally from the arm 13 to overlie a fixed abutment disposed along the path followed by the skewer It during its endwise motion out of the empty bobbin, the member being rigid with the slide 55. The abutment engages the lug and checks downward movement of the slide as the skewer continues downwardly. As a result, the slide is raised relative to the bars 45 and against the action of the spring 67 thereby collapsing the tip and stressing the spring. While the slide actuating abutment may take various forms, it is formed in the present instance by the guide pin 38 which, as above described, is disposed alongside the skewer arm to guide the latter in its swinging and endwise movements. Preferably, the lug 71 is in the form of a hook formed integrally with the slide and long enough to overlie the top of the guide pin.

The latch 70 is formed by one arm of a bell crank 72 fulcrumed on a pin 73 extending between and fast on laterally extending enlargements 74 on the bars 45 adjacent the lower ends thereof. The latch 70 extends upwardly along the side 41 of the skewer arm 13, and the other crank arm 75 projects laterally from the fulcrum away from the skewer arm. Stretched between the arm 75' and a pin 77 carried between the outer ends of a pair of lugs 78 projecting laterally from the enlargements above the arm 75 is a contractile spring 79 which urges the bell crank clockwise (FIG. 3) about its fulcrum 73 toward the latched position shown in FIG. 7.

Offset toward the latch 79 from the lower end of the slide 55 and extending below the latter is a leg 80 (FIGS. 3, 6 and 7) with one side normally bearing against the adjacent side edge 81 of the latch. As the slide moves upwardly in collapsing the tip 12, this leg slides along the latch edge 81 until a downwardly facing shoulder 82 on the leg passes an upwardly facing edge 83 of a notch 84 in the latch whereupon the latch spring 79 snaps the latch toward the leg and interlocks these two opposed surfaces. This occurs when the tip is fully collapsed (FIG. 7). As the lug 71 moves away from the pin 38 during endwise movement of the skewer toward the reserve bobbin, these surfaces 82, 83 coact to latch the slide and hold the spring in stressed condition. Preferably, one of the holes in the opposite ends of the toggle link 61 is somewhat elongated as indicated at 86 (FIG. 3) to provide lost motion at one of the pivots and permit overtravel of the slide after the tip is collapsed to insure that. the slide is latched, such overtravel merely taking up some of the slack in the toggle joint. This relieves the need for holding to close tolerances in the manufacture of the skewer.

- -To trip the latch and trigger the expansion mechanism when the tip is fully inserted in the bore of the reserve bobbin, the side edge 81 of the latch is spaced from the side 41 of the skewer arm 13 a distance less than the diameter of the guide pin 38 when the slide is latched and curves away from the arm at 85 adjacent the free end of the latch. Accordingly, the curved portion of the latch forms a cam for guiding the pin 38 in between the latch and the arm as the skewer moves toward the reserve bobbin, and the pin constitutes a fixed abutment 6 operable to swing the latch counterclockwise a distance sufficient to disengage the surfaces 82 and S3 and release the slide to the action of the spring 67. The tip expansion occurs at a predetermined instant determined by the slope and position of the cam, these being selected to trip the latch as soon as the tip is fully inserted and before the skewer begins to swing the bobbin laterally toward the unwinding position (see FIGS. 7 and 9).

Operation When the skewer 10 is actuated by the passing of the traveler 2S and engagement of the traveler cam 27 with the follower 25, the shaft 21 is rotated through one full revolution by the rack 24 and the pinion 23 to withdraw the skewer from the empty bobbin 11 in the unwinding position, cock the load-and-fire mechanism, insert the skewer tip into the reserve bobbin 11 expand the tip within the bobbin, and finally swing the latter into the unwinding position. The movements of the various skewer elements during this cycle are plotted against the angular displacement of the shaft from the unwinding position in the time chart shown in FIG. 9.

The initial turning of the shaft 21 swings the crank arm 36 and the pin 35 downwardly at W to draw the skewer through the slot 15 and finally out of the empty [bobbin 11 at 10*. At the same time, downward movement of the skewer brings the lug 71 into engagement with the guide pin 38 between 43* and 43 (FIG. 9), the exact moment of contact between the hook and the pin depending upon the extent of expansion of the tip as permitted by the bore size of the bobbin then on the tip. Continued downward movement of the skewer draws the slide 55 upwardly along the arm to collapse the tip and stress the spring 67. The collapsing of the tip is completed at 43 after almost one quarter revolution of the shaft 21, and the latch 7t snaps toward the leg at Th to interlock the surfaces 82 and 33 and to cock the loadand-fire mechanism.

In the second quarter revolution, the skewer is tilted at It? (FIG. 9) into alinement with the bore of the reserve bobbin while the tip remains latched in the collapsed position. Then, in the third quarter revolution, the skewer is moved endwise into the reserve bobbin at 1n Just before the tip is fully inserted (FIG. 7), the latch 70 engages the guide pin 33 and is swung counterclockwise thereby at 7th to move the notch away from the leg 84). Simultaneously with full insertion of the tip in the reserve bobbin at 16 the latch is tripped at 76 to trigger the expansion mechanism, releasing the slide to swing the free end of the finger outwardly at 43 and toward the right-hand side of the bore a distance determined by the bore size of the reserve bobbin.

When the finger engages the right-hand side of the bore wall, it applies a force radially outwardly of the bore and to the right and, therefore, shifts the bobbin radially to the right until the opposite side of the bore wall is pressed rmly against the finger edges 40. Accordingly, the tip grips the bobbin along two angularly spaced lines (see FIG. 5) on one side and at least at a point on the opposite side. It will be apparent that such linear engagement of the fingers 44 with the bore wall would be obtained if the edges 49 were rounded instead of formed with sharp corner-s. With the free end of the finger 43 slotted at 64, the tip also engages the right-hand side of the wall at angularly spaced points whereby the stability of the bobbin on the skewer is increased. During the remaining portion of the revolution of the shaft 21, the tip grips and securely holds the bobbin as the skewer is swung back to the unwinding position, this being indicated at 10 (FIG. 9).

Modified Constructions A modified construction is illustrated in FIGS. 10, 11 and 12 in which corresponding parts are indicated by corresponding primed reference numbers. In this instance, the movable finger 43 is formed by the upper 7 end portion of an elongated lever 88 disposed between the bars 45' (FIG. 11) and fulcrumed intermediate its ends on a pin 52. extending between the bars at a point spaced substantially below the fixed fingers 44'. Below the pin, the lower end portion 8%) of the lever is offset to the left-hand side of the skewer pivot 35' and a contractile spring 90 is stretched between the lower end of the lever and a pin 91 fast between a pair of lugs 92 projecting laterally from the left-hand side of the plates. Consequently, the spring 96 urges. the lever clockwise aboutits fulcrum to swing the finger 43 toward the expanded position (FIG. 11).

As the tip is withdrawn from. an empty bobbin, a laterally projecting lug 71. on one side of the finger 43 is drawn into engagement with the guide pin 39 which slides along an upwardly inclined edge 93 of the lug and cams the finger counterclockwise relative to the bars 45' and intothe collapsed position. A stop pin 94- fastened between the plates abuts against the bottom of a notch 95 in the finger when the latter reaches the collapsed position.

Fulcrumed adjacent its lower end on a pin '73 extending between the outer end portions of the lugs 92 is a latch lever 79' formed with a side edge 81 which is inclined upwardly from the fulcrum and toward the skewer with its upper end overlying the skewer arm. A spring '79 stretched between the latch and the lower end of the skewer urges the latch counterclockwise about its fulcrum to swing a follower pin 97 on the latch against the lower end portion of the lever 88. The side edge of the latter adjacent the follower pin 97 is shaped to form two seats 98 and d9 above and below a rise 1%. When the tip is expanded, the follower pin is held in the seat 99 by the spring '79 and, therefore, determines the fully extended position of the finger by limiting clockwise swinging thereof.

As the guide pin 3% and the cam 93 swing. the finger into the collapsed position, the rise 190 is swung away from the .pin 97 permitting the spring 79' to swing the latch counterclockwise and carry the pin to a position above the rise where it drops into the seat 93. Thus the finger is latched in the collapsed position for insertion in the reserve bobbin, and the spring 98 is conditioned for instantaneous expansion of the tip upon tripping of the latch. During endwise movement of the skewer into the reserve bobbin, the inclined edge 81 of the latch engages the guide pin 38 and is swung clockwise thereby to swing the follower pin out of the seat 98 and release the finger to the action of the spring 90. As in the preferred form, the latch 76' is tripped at a predetermined instant and only after full entry of the tip into the bobbin. Accordingly, the finger snaps outwa dly and into gripping engagement with the bobbin wall.

A shoe 101 having a flat outer side 1ll2 is pivotally mounted on the finger 43' at 103 adjacent the upper end of the latter and above the center of gravity of the shoe (see FIG. 11). Thus, as the finger swings toward the expanded position, the side 1&2 engages. the bore wall and alines itself with the latter as shown in FIG. whereby the force of the spring 96 isapplied along two angularly spaced lines (see FIG. 12) of substantial length on the right-hand side as well as on the left. Also, the fixed fingers 44 are offset outwardly at 104 from the lower portions of the bars 45' as illustrated in FIG. 11 to space the gripping edges 46' further apart for added stability of larger bobbins.

Another modified construction particularly well suited for use with bobbins 11 having bores 18 smaller than the normal range of sizes now in commercial use is shown in FIGS. 13 and 14. This skewer utilizes a generally V-shaped torsion spring 107 having a coil 168 intermediate its ends with the opposite end portions of the spring forming two legs 109 and 1113. The leg 110 is fulcrumed at its lower end on a pin 111 carried on the upper end of the slide 112 and the other leg is fulcrumed on a pin 113 spanning the fixed fingers 114 below the upper ends thereof. The upper end of the slide is positioned well below the pin 113 when the slide is in its uppermost position as shown in full in FIG. 13, and the lengths of the legs W9 and are such that they are substantially pan allel and the coil 188 is disposed between the fixed fingers when the slide 112 is latched in its uppermost position with the tip collapsed.

As the slide is snapped downwardly from this position and pulls the leg 11!? downwardly, the spring 107 swings clockwise about both pins 111 and 113 and the coil 108 swings outwardly into engagement with the bore walll 18 as shown in broken lines in FIG. 13. Thus, the bobbin is gripped on one side by the fixed fingers as in the other two embodiments and on the other side by the spring 107. The coil acts as a fulcrum between the two spring legs and yields to accommodate the changing angular relation of the legs as the coil swings back and forth. Using an expandable tip of this type, the tip may be made considerably narrower than in the other constructions to fit readily into bobbins having small bore sizes.

From the foregoing, it will be evident that a skewer constructed in accordance with the present invention will grip and sup-port bob-bins of widely varying sizes. Instead of sizing the collapsed tip to fit snugly into the bore of the bobbins being handled as has been the case with prior skewers, the tip in the present instance fits freely into bobbins of all sizes and expands varying distances into gripping engagement with the bore walls, the amount of expansionbeing determined by the size of the bore of the bobbins being handled. Moreover, because the tip is expanded by a load-and-fire mechanism triggered as an incident to full entry of the tip into the reserve bobbin, the latter is gripped firmly prior to the swinging of the skewer back to the unwinding position and therefore is held securely during such swinging.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a spooler, the combination of, an elongated arm adapted to telescope at its free end into the bore of an active bobbin and support the latter in an unwinding position, means supporting a reserve bobbin and angularly spacing the latter away from the active bob-bin, anexpandable tip including a finger mounted on said free end for movement laterally of the arrninto and out of engagement with the wall of said bore, mechanism operable to shiftsaid arm endwise along a predeterminedpath to withdraw said tip from the, active bobbin, swing the arm into axial alinement with the reserve bobbin, move the arm endwise along a second path to insert the tip in the reserve bobbin, and swing the latter back to said unwinding position, a slide guided along said arrnfor back and forth movement longitudinally of the arm and connected,

to said finger to collapse and'expand said tip upon such movement, a spring acting between said arm and said slide to bias the latter in a direction to expand said tip, means operating as an incident to withdrawal of said arm from the active bobbin to shift said slidein one direction to collapse said tip, a latch movably mounted on said arm and engageable with said slide upon the full collapse. of said tip thereby to hold the latter collapsedas said arm.

is projected into the bore of the reserve bobbin, and means operating as an incident to fullentry of said tip into the reserve bobbin to trip said latch and release said slide to the action of said spring andthereby, cause the instantaneous expansion of said tip until said finger engages and becomes pressed against said bore wall.

2. The combinationdefined in claim 1 in which said tip collapsing means includes a member faston said slide and projecting laterally therefrom beyond one side of said arm, and an abutment disposed in a fixed position along said predetermined path to engage said member and shift said slide in said one direction as said arm moves endwise along said predetermined path thereby to collapse said tip.

3. The combination defined in claim 1 in which said tripping means includes an abutment disposed in a fixed position along said-second path and engageable with said latch to trip the latter at a predetermined instant as said arm is moved endwise along said second path, said tip being fully inserted in said reserve bobbin when said latch is tripped.

4. In a bobbin skewer, the combination of, an elongated arm, a tip on one end of said arm expandable varying distances within the bores of bobbins of widely varying sizes, said tip including a toggle joint comprising a first link fulcrumed on said arm for swinging about a first axis extending transversely of. the arm, and a second link fulcrumed adjacent one of its ends on the free end portion of said first link to swing about a second axis spaced from and paralleling said first axis, the other end of said second link being guided for movement along said arm toward and away from said first axis to expand and collapse said tip, and a spring connected to said other end of said second link and to said arm and stressed to urge said other end in a direction to expand said tip into gripping engagement with the bore wall of a bob-bin on the tip, the leverage of said toggle joint increasing progressively as said tip is expanded whereby the gripping force applied by the toggle joint increases as the sizes of said bores increase.

5. In a bobbin skewer, the combination of, an elongated arm, a tip on said arm expandable varying distances within the bores of bobbins of widely varying sizes and including a toggle joint with a first link fulcrumed at one end on said arm to swing about a fixed axis extending transversely of the arm, the other link of said joint being fulcrumed to swing about an axis movable along said arm toward and away from said fixed axis thereby to expand and collapse said tip, and a spring connected to said other link adjacent said movable axis and to said arm and stressed to urge the movable axis toward said fixed axis and expand said tip into gripping engagement with the bore wall of a bobbin on the tip, the leverage of said toggle joint increasing progressively as said tip is expanded and the stress on said spring decreases.

6. In a spooler, the combination of, a support, a skewer mounted on said support and adapted to telescope with and support an active bobbin in an unwinding position, means on said support for supporting a reserve bobbin and angularly spacing the latter away from the active bobbin, said skewer including a finger movable radially into and out of engagement with the bore walls of the bobbin on the skewer thereby to expand and collapse the skewer, mechanism operable to move said skewer relative to said support to withdraw said skewer endwise from the active bobbin, swing the skewer into axial alinement with the reserve bobbin, insert the skewer axially and endwlse into the reserve bobbin, and swing the latter back to said unwinding position, a spring continuously acting on said skewer to expand the latter, means on said support operating as an incident to withdrawal of said skewer from a the active bobbin to collapse the skewer, a latch operable to hold said skewer releasably in collapsed condition, and means on said support disposed in a fixed position relative to the path of endwise insertion of said skewer into said reserve bobbin and engageable with said latch to trip the latter when the skewer is fully inserted in the bobbin bore thereby to cause instantaneous expansion of said skewer a distance determined by the size of the bore of the reserve bobbin.

7. In a spooler, the combination of, an arm comprising two elongated bars disposed in spaced side-by-side relation; a tip formed on the upper end of said arm and expandable varying distances into engagement with the bore walls of bobbins of widely varying sizes, said tip including two fixed fingers formed by the upper end portions of said bars and having longitudinal edges spaced for engagement with said bore walls along angularly spaced lines, and a movable finger disposed on one side of and generally coextensive with said fixed fingers in a plane extending between said bars, the lower end of said movable finger being fulcrumed on said bars to pivot about an axis perpendicular to said plane whereby the movable finger swings toward and away from said fixed fingers to contract and expand said tip; mechanism operable to withdraw said tip from an active bobbin in an unwinding position, swing the arm into alinement with a reserve bobbin angularly spaced frornthe active bobbin, insert the tip in the reserve bobbin, and swing the latter into said unwinding position; a slide disposed between said bars with the upper end portion thereof spaced above said axis, said slide being guided for sliding longitudinally of said arm between upper and lower positions; a toggle link pivoted at one end adjacent the upper end of said slide and at the other end on said movable finger at a point spaced from said axis, said link being generally vertically disposed when said slide is in said upper position with said movable finger alongside said fixed fingers, and generally horizontal when the slide is in said lower position thereby to expand said tip as the slide moves downwardly; a spring acting between said arm and said slide to bias the latter downwardly; means operating as an incident to withdrawal of said tip to shift said slide upwardly along said arm and collapse said tip; a latch movably mounted on said arm and engageable with said slide upon the full collapse of said tip thereby to hold the latter collapsed; and means operating as an incident to full entry of said tip into the reserve bobbin bore to trip said latch and release said slide to the action of said spring thereby to cause instantaneous expansion of the tip.

8. In a bobbin skewer, the combination of, an elongated arm adapted to be disposed in an upright position and inserted upwardly into the bore of a bobbin; a tip on the upper end of said arm expandable into gripping engagement with the bore walls of bobbins of widely varying sizes, said tip including two fixed edges extending longitudinally of said arm on one side of said tip and laterally spaced for engagement with said bores along lines angularly spaced around the walls, and a movable finger disposed on the opposite side of said tip and generally coextensive with said edges in a plane extending between said edges, the lower end of said finger being fulcrumed on said arm to pivot about an axis perpendicular to said plane whereby said finger is swingable toward and away from said edges to contract and expand said tip; a slide guided for back and forth movement longitudinally of said arm between a lowered position and a raised position in which the upper end portion of said slide is spaced above said axis; a toggle link fulcrumed at one end on said upper end portion and at the other end on said finger above sm'd axis to pivot about axes paralleling the pivot axis of said finger, said link being disposed in an upright position when said tip is collapsed and said slide is raised thereby forming a toggle joint operable to expand said tip as said slide moves downwardly; and a spring acting between said arm and said slide to urge the slide downwardly and expand said tip.

9. In a skewer of the character described, the combination of, an elongated arm swingable between unwinding and reserve positions, and a tip on the free end of said arm for expanding into gripping engagement with the bore walls of bobbins of widely varying sizes, and gripping each bore wall along three angularly spaced longitudinal lines regardless of the bore size, said tip having two angularly spaced longitudinal edges rigid with said arm on one side of the latter spaced radially outwardly on the tip a distance greater than the radial spacing of any other part of the tip on said one side for engagement with a bore wall along two longitudinally extending angularly spaced lines regardless of the bore size, a finger mounted on said arm for movement radially and outwardly into gripping engagement with said wall at least at a point along a third line on the side of the wall opposite said two lines, and spring means for pressing said finger against said opposite side with sufiicient force to press said wall against said edges.

10. In a bobbin skewer for telescoping into and gripping the bore walls of bobbins of different sizes, the combination of, an arm, two angularly spaced edges on one side of said arm extending longitudinally of the arm and spaced radially outwardly on the arm a greater distance than any intervening part of the arm on said one side for engagement with a bore wall along two angularly spaced longitudinal lines regardless of the diameter of the bore, a finger mounted on the opposite side of said arm for movement radially outwardly a distance greater than the radial spacing of said edges and into engagement with the bore wall, and spring means urging said finger outwardly with a force sufficient to press the bore wall tightly against said edges.

11. In a spooler, the combination of, a support, a skewer movably mounted on said support and adapted to telescope with and hold an active bobbin in an unwinding position, means for holding a reserve bobbin in a reserve position angularly spaced from said active position, a finger on said skewer movable radially outwardly into gripping engagement with the bore wail of a bobbin on the skewer to expand the latter and inwardly to collapse the skewer, mechanism operable to withdraw said skewer endwise from the active bobbin, swing the skewer into axial alinement with the bore of the reserve bobbin, insert the skewer endwise into the reserve bobbin, and swing the skewer to said unwinding position, a spring acting between said skewer and said finger to swing the latter outwardly and expand the skewer, a member mounted on the skewer and movable back and forth relative thereto, said member being connected to said finger to swing the latter inwardly in one direction of movement of the member, means on said support along the path of endwise withdrawal of said skewer and engageable with said member during such withdrawal to move the member in said one direction and collapse the skewer and load said spring, a latch operable to hold said finger releasably in the skewer-collapsed condition during swinging of the skewer to said reserve bobbin, and means on saidsupport disposed in a fixed position along the path of endwise insertion of the skewer into the reserve bobbin and engageable with said latch to trip the latter at a predetermined instant during such insertion thereby to release said finger for instantaneous expansion of the skewer.

12. A skewer as defined in claim 10 in which said finger comprises one end portion of an elongated lever pivoted on said arm to swing about a transverse axis spaced longitudinally along said arm from said edges.

13. A skewer as defined in claim 12 in which said edges are formed by corresponding side edges of two elongated bars disposed in spaced side-by-side relation, and said lever is pivotally supported between said bars for back and forth swinging in a plane extending between the bars.

14. A skewer as defined in claim 4 in which said links comprise a torsion spring having a coil intermediate its ends defining said second axis.

15. A skewer as defined in claim 9 in which said arm comprises two elongated bars disposed in closely spaced side-by-side relation, and said edges comprise portions of the side edges of said bars adjacent one end of said arm on said one side thereof.

16. A skewer as defined in claim 15 in which said finger comprises one end portion of a lever disposed between said bars and pivoted intermediate its ends thereon for back and forth swinging in a plane extending between said bars and about a transverse axis spaced from said one end.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Peterson Oct. 2, 1928 Townsend Sept. 27, 1960 OTHER REFERENCES 

1. IN A SPOOLER, THE COMBINATION OF, AN ELONGATED ARM ADAPTED TO TELESCOPE AT ITS FREE END INTO THE BORE OF AN ACTIVE BOBBIN AND SUPPORT THE LATTER IN AN UNWINDING POSITION, MEANS SUPPORTING A RESERVE BOBBIN AND ANGULARLY SPACING THE LATTER AWAY FROM THE ACTIVE BOBBIN, AN EXPANDABLE TIP INCLUDING A FINGER MOUNTED ON SAID FREE END FOR MOVEMENT LATERALLY OF THE ARM INTO AND OUT OF ENGAGEMENT WITH THE WALL OF SAID BORE, MECHANISM OPERABLE TO SHIFT SAID ARM ENDWISE ALONG A PREDETERMINED PATH TO WITHDRAW SAID TIP FROM THE ACTIVE BOBBIN, SWING THE ARM INTO AXIAL ALINEMENT WITH THE RESERVE BOBBIN, MOVE THE ARM ENDWISE ALONG A SECOND PATH TO INSERT THE TIP IN THE RESERVE BOBBIN, AND SWING THE LATTER BACK TO SAID UNWINDING POSITION, A SLIDE GUIDE ALONG AID ARM FOR BACK AND FORTH MOVEMENT LONGITUDINALLY OF THE ARM AND CONNECTED TO SAID FINGER TO COLLAPSE AND EXPAND SAID TIP UPON SUCH MOVEMENT, A SPRING ACTING BETWEEN SAID ARM AND SAID SLIDE TO BIAS THE LATTER IN A DIRECTION TO EXPAND SAID TIP, MEANS OPERATING AS AN INCIDENT TO WITHDRAWAL OF SAID ARM FROM THE ACTIVE BOBBIN TO SHIFT SAID SLIDE IN ONE DIRECTION TO COLLAPSE SAID TIP, A LATCH MOVABLY MOUNTED ON SAID ARM AND ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID SLIDE UPON THE FULL COLLAPSE OF SAID TIP THEREBY TO HOLD THE LATTER COLLAPSED AS SAID ARM IS PROJECTED INTO THE BORE OF THE RESERVE BOBBIN, AND MEANS OPERATING AS AN INCIDENT TO FULL ENTRY OF SAID TIP INTO THE RESERVE BOBBIN TO TRIP SAID LATCH AND RELEASE SAID SLIDE TO THE ACTION OF SAID SPRING AND THEREBY CAUSE THE INSTANTANEOUS EXPANSION OF SAID TIP UNTIL SAID FINGER ENGAGES AND BECOMES PRESSED AGAINST SAID BORE WALL. 